HOUSTON, March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
(NYSE: APC), along with its partners Shell and Ocean Energy Inc., today
announced the successful completion of drilling operations on a field
development/delineation well at the company's 1998 Hickory discovery offshore
Louisiana. After being drilled to a total depth of more than 18,000 feet, the
Grand Isle Block 116 No. 2 well encountered main field pay zones downdip of
the original discovery well (Grand Isle 116 No. 1) located about one mile to
the north. Anadarko and its partners now plan to drill another 2,400 feet
deeper in the Grand Isle 116 No. 2 well and potentially extend the lower
limits of additional pay intervals encountered by the Grand Isle 116 No. 1
well. A separate exploration well has been approved for Grand Isle Block 111
and will begin drilling once the work on Block 116 is complete.
While drilling the second delineation well, the Transocean 96 semi-
submersible rig penetrated a section of salt more than 8,000 feet thick-which
the company believes is one of the thickest ever drilled in the Gulf of
Mexico. In addition, reaching total depth in the No. 2 well required only
38 days, a substantial reduction compared to other sub-salt wells of this
type.
"This well was drilled in about half the time and at half the cost of what
we expected," said John Seitz, Anadarko President and Chief Operating Officer.
"The knowledge and experience we've acquired through our sub-salt program,
particularly with regards to drill bit and mud technology, contributed
significantly to the efficiencies we've achieved."
Anadarko also applied its expertise in sub-salt directional drilling,
viewed by the industry as a major challenge of the play. In order to reach
this target, the second delineation well was drilled as an S-shaped hole with
a maximum angle of 42 degrees extending more than three-quarters of a mile
from the original well bore.
Construction of the Hickory production platform continues and is on
schedule for installation this summer. The platform has been designed to
handle 300 million cubic feet of gas per day and 15,000 barrels of oil per
day. First production from the Hickory Field is scheduled for the fourth
quarter of 2000.
Anadarko (operator) owns a 50% working interest in Grand Isle Blocks 110,
111 and 116 along with partners Shell (37.5%) and Ocean Energy (12.5%).
SOURCE Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
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http://www.anadarko.com
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Company News On-Call:
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800-758-5804, ext. 038950
CONTACT:
analysts and investors, A. Paul Taylor,
281-874-3471, or media, Tony Canino, 281-873-3855, both of
Anadarko Petroleum Corporation
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